SECURITY COUNCIL ENCOURAGES STATES TO MAKE TRAINED CIVILIAN POLICE AVAILABLE AT SHORT NOTICE FOR UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS

14 July 1997

Press Release
SC/6397

SECURITY COUNCIL ENCOURAGES STATES TO MAKE TRAINED CIVILIAN POLICE AVAILABLE AT SHORT NOTICE FOR UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS

19970714 Presidential Statement Encourages Secretary-General To Promote Standardized Approach to Such Training, Recruitment

Noting the increasing role and special functions of civilian police in United Nations peace-keeping operations, the Security Council this morning encouraged States to make appropriately trained police available to the Organization at short notice, if possible through stand-by arrangements. It also encouraged the Secretary-General to guide States, in order to promote a standardized approached to the training and recruitment of civilian police.

Through a statement read out by its President, Foreign Minister of Sweden Lena Hjelm-Wallen, the Council encouraged States to provide appropriate training of civilian police for international service and to seek further means to enhance the ways in which such police components were set up and supported. It encouraged their efforts to organize joint training between civilian and military components designated for United Nations operations, in order to improve coordination and security for personnel in the field.

According to the Council, civilian police performed indispensable functions in monitoring and training national police forces. They could play a major role, through assistance to local police forces, in restoring civil order, supporting the rule of law and fostering civil reconciliation. The Council saw an increasingly important role for them in helping build confidence and security between parties and among local populations, in order to prevent or contain conflicts or to build peace in their aftermath.

The Council underlined the importance of recruiting qualified civilian police for United Nations operations from the widest possible geographic range, and well as of recruiting female officers. It underlined the necessity for United Nations civilian police to be trained, as required, to support the reorganization, training and monitoring of national police and to help defuse tension on the ground through negotiations. The Council considered it essential that such police contingents contain adequate legal expertise.

Security Council - 2 - Press Release SC/6397 3801st Meeting (AM) 14 July 1997

The full text of the presidential statement, to be issued as document S/PRST/1997/38, reads as follows:

"The Security Council has established or authorized a growing number of peace-keeping operations which contain both civilian and military components. It takes particular note of the increasing role and special functions of civilian police in such operations.

"The Security Council notes the efforts by the General Assembly and its Special Committee on Peace-keeping Operations in carrying out their task to review all aspects of peace-keeping operations, including inter alia, enhancing the capacity of the United Nations system to accommodate the growing demand for civilian police in peace-keeping operations. It furthermore commends the efforts of the Secretary-General in this regard. The Council encourages States to look for further means to enhance the ways in which civilian police components of peace-keeping operations are set up and supported.

"The Security Council considers that in operations mandated by the Security Council or the General Assembly the civilian police perform indispensable functions in monitoring and training national police forces and can play a major role, through assistance to local police forces, in restoring civil order, supporting the rule of law and fostering civil reconciliation. It sees an increasingly important role for civilian police, among others, in contributing to the building of confidence and security between parties and among local populations, in order to prevent conflict, to contain conflict or to build peace in the aftermath of conflict.

"The Security Council encourages States to make available to the United Nations at short notice appropriately trained civilian police, if possible through the Untied Nations sand-by arrangements. It welcomes the role of United Nations selection assistance teams in this regard.

"The Security Council underlines the importance of the recruitment of qualified civilian police from the widest possible geographic range to serve in United Nations operations. It also expresses the importance of the recruitment of female police officers to United Nations operations.

"The Security Council encourages States individually or collectively to provide appropriate training of civilian police for international service. It encourages the Secretary-General to provide assistance and guidance to Member States in order to promote a standardized approach towards the training and recruitment of civilian police.

Security Council - 3 - Press Release SC/6397 3801st Meeting (AM) 14 July 1997

"The Security Council underlines the necessity for United Nations civilian police, in accordance with their mandates, to be trained as required, inter alia, to render assistance and support in the reorganization, training and monitoring of national police and to help defuse tension on the ground through negotiations. The Council furthermore consider it essential that United Nations civilian police contingents contain adequate legal expertise.

"The Security Council underlines the need for close coordination between civilian police and the military, humanitarian and other civilian components of United Nations operations. It encourages efforts by Member States to organize joint training between civilian and military components designated for United Nations operations in order to improve coordination and security for personnel in the field.

"The Security Council expresses its gratitude to those countries which have contributed civilian police to the peace-keeping operation of the United Nations."

The meeting, which was called to order at 11:22 a.m., was adjourned at 11:28 a.m.

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